The King of Bandits
by Backbiter
Summary: Natsuki is deemed the Hero of Time. As such, her mission is to defeat the legendary King of Bandits and retrieve the Faceless Prince. However, the King of Bandits is two steps ahead of her and sends out his best assassin to stop her- Fujino Shizuru.
1. The Heroine of Time?

Disclaimer: All rights to Mai-HiME and Legend of Zelda are reserved to Sunrise and Nintendo.

Author's Note: _The Island_ will be updated shortly. The latest chapter is already finished, but it needs a lot of fixing. _Creep_ is still in the works.

In the meanwhile, here is a slightly lighter story compared to _The Island._ This story is based on the setting and many of the important elements of the _Legend of Zelda _franchise. I don't know much about the game itself, but I was intrigued by it and wished to write a story based on it. Pardon me for any mistakes or alterations if you're a hardcore fan of this game.

I hope you like it. Make sure to leave any sort of feedback. I apologise for any grammatical errors I might have missed while editing this piece.

* * *

"Kuga!" screamed the voice of none other than the good shepherd Mr. Tokiha. Natsuki poked her head out from the hole of her window and looked down. Flaming red hair and a face lined with age smiled up at her gently. "We haven't seen your face all day! What have you been up to?"

Natsuki wasn't up to answering, so she said, "Stuff."

In reality, Natsuki was polishing her father's sword. Of course, if the other villagers of Solstia heard of a girl Natsuki's age handling a man's weapon, they would be enraged. It was best to keep it a secret, much like the other things her father previously owned. Such as his horse, Duran, who still lived in the back of the house, the stash of alcohol in the cupboard, and his wooden shield that she'd hidden away in one of the walls.

"My daughter kindly asked for your company," he told her. "Do you mind coming down?"

Natsuki sighed and hid the sword away under the puke green couch her father said that her mother had loved so much. Natsuki didn't know much about her mother other than the fact that she had died a year after Natsuki's birth and that her name was Saeko. Natsuki's father, Kunio, had died only a seven months ago, leaving Natsuki with his little fairy helper, Tatl.

Now, Tatl and Natsuki weren't the greatest of friends. They quarrelled a lot over suitors who came to Natsuki's door.

Natsuki decided to be difficult. She refused to marry anyone. Marriage was for chumps.

Tatl would say that it was for her own good, that she was being silly. Practically every boy in the village wanted her and all she did was reject them.

However, Natsuki relied on Tatl as her only friend. Certainly, she had the young Tokiha and her younger friend, Mikoto, to keep her company, but she hardly knew them anyway.

Natsuki went down the stairs, little Tatl buzzing around her head. Once they reached the ground, Natsuki followed Mr. Tokiha down to the smaller hut down the stream. Once they reached it, he told her that his daughter was inside along with Mikoto. She nodded her thanks and slipped inside.

Mai's house was less than spectacular. There was a couch in that corner, a carpet in the centre of the living area, topped by a table. The walls were made of bland wood and the flowers, which were originally taken in to liven up the place, sagged sulkily. Mikoto was sitting in the couch in the corner of the living room, playing with the kitten she'd found abandoned by the stream. She practically lived with Mai, considering her big brother was hardly around to take good care of her.

Mai was in the kitchen, cooking of course. There was no other hobby she loved most. She would make a great wife, unlike Natsuki.

She spent her time in the Tokiha household the same old way. They talked about trivial things and ate while Tatl (who was actually named Tate, Natsuki kept forgetting) tirelessly asked Natsuki if Mai liked him.

The day ended slowly. Finally, when Natsuki dismissed herself, she walked back home in silence, Tatl—Tate—continuously swirling around her head like an annoying firefly.

When she reached her front door, Tate suddenly said, "Something feels weird."

Natsuki paused, her hand wrapped around the wooden door knob. Whenever Tate said something like that, she couldn't help but hesitate. Whenever he got a 'weird feeling', something bad always happened.

However, she still swung her door open. There were the stairs that led up to her house. Nothing peculiar so far.

"Natsuki, seriously, something's not right," he went on to say.

"Then go and check!" Natsuki said through her teeth. Tate hesitated, but he fluttered up the stairs. If there was anyone up there tampering with her sword…

Tate screamed.

Natsuki quickly sprang into action and ran up the stairs. To her great horror, mud had been tracked into the house. She sped up until she reached the top where she was smacked in the face by the back of a hand. She saw stars as a cloaked man grabbed her and covered her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tate bustling around angrily in a jar. She tried to scream as she thrashed, but the man had a good grip on her.

"Shut up, you little slut," he snarled in her ear harshly before pulling her onto the couch. He threw her into it and got on top of her. Natsuki tried to push him off, but he pinned her arms above her head with one hand. He began to do away with her dress, his cloaked face unseen but his excited breaths very audible.

"I was gonna take your daddy's sword," growled the man as he passed a knife down the centre of her dress, cutting it to reveal her creamy white skin, "but I guess I'll take extra…"

"Natsuki!" cried Tate as he began to jitter around in his little prison. He banged on the walls and cried out helplessly. "Natsuki!"

Natsuki screamed for him to stop, but her dress was already in shreds and the man had just hooked his fingers into the waist band of her knickers.

Suddenly, Tate toppled over his jar, causing it to crack loudly. As the man turned to see what was happening, Natsuki ripped her wrists out of the attacker's grip, reached under the couch, and lodged the blade of her father's sword into his head.

"Uh…?" And, with that, he fell off of Natsuki and onto the floor, dead. Natsuki slowly rose to her feet and looked down at the man in horror. His eyes were wide open and blood pooled onto the hardwood floor.

She killed a man.

"Hey!" Tate cried out, banging on the side of his jar. "Get me out!"

Natsuki didn't pay attention. She slipped into her room and began to gather her things. She took her father's rucksack and stuffed it with her belongings. As Tate called out to her, Natsuki went over to Kunio's old dresser and quickly shed off her tattered dress. She slipped into her father's slim breeches and sleeveless white shirt before stepping back outside, rucksack slung over her shoulders. She removed the shield from its hiding place in the wall and moved over to the couch to slide the sword from her attacker's skull and into its sheath.

"Natsuki…?" Tate was obviously stunned by Natsuki's new wear, but quickly disapproved. "What the hell are you wearing? The village—"

"We're leaving," Natsuki told him as she uncorked his glass prison. He swiftly bopped her in the face.

"What do you mean we're leaving?" he spat. "What for? This guy tried to assault you and—?"

"No one would believe me," Natsuki reasoned angrily as she headed for the window outback. The people in Solstia were very strict and conservative. Natsuki's lifestyle was rough enough with the villagers condemning her for the lack of a male figure in the house. They couldn't possibly take her word for it if she were to say that someone tried to rape her. Hardly anyone knew the meaning of rape. There was that and her welcome in the village was outstayed, anyway. "Come on, Tate. I'm taking Duran with me."

"_What?_" screamed Tate. "You can't do that!"

"Why not?" Natsuki was beginning to think she should have just kept him in the jar.

"Women don't ride horses alone!" he said. "You'll get in trouble!"

"I don't give a shit," Natsuki shot back as she slipped out of the window and into the bushes. Tate buzzed after her wearily as Natsuki went over to her father's silver horse. He whinnied affectionately upon seeing a familiar face, totally unaware of what had just transpired.

Natsuki mounted him (with some difficulty; she was still quite new to horse-riding) and said, "Move."

He didn't budge.

"Uh… come on, move," she snarled at Duran, bobbing up and down on his saddle. He blew a raspberry, showing his irritation. "Damn it, Duran, get a move on!"

"You're supposed to give him a signal," mumbled Tate. Natsuki felt her cheeks rise in temperature.

"I-I knew that," she stammered weakly. She thought on this for a second and kicked his sides. Duran immediately got on his hind legs with a whinny and bolted out of backyard, hopping over the low fence surrounding it. Natsuki hung on tightly to his thick neck, eyes forced shut. They rode down the stream, past the Tokiha household and into the woods, never to see Solstia again.

* * *

Natsuki rode Duran through the forest and onto a concrete path.

It was a long path that never seemed to end. When morning arrived, they were still on the path, Natsuki and Tate bickering about whether the path would lead to something or not. They both hadn't left the village of Solstia for many, many years, after all. In fact, Natsuki had never left it until that very day. Tate just had a terrible memory.

"I just don't think this path leads us to anywhere special," spat Tate, sitting on Natsuki's shoulder. "It'll probably lead us to another village or something. If it's Bruma, then we're screwed. You know what they do to people from Solstia."

Natsuki knew exactly what they did and she couldn't help but tighten her jaw at the thought of stumbling upon an enemy so early on her journey to…

Her journey to what? Where was she headed to, anyway? What was the point, running away like this? She had no plan, no food, no anything. She couldn't live on wild animals. She couldn't live in the wild. Where would she sleep? In the trees? Why didn't she just stay home and hide the body or something?

Natsuki shook her head. Snap out of it, she mentally barked. Even if she did hide the body, there would always be the chance of someone finding it. She wouldn't be able to sleep properly. And once she got married, she couldn't imagine what her husband would do if he were to ever find the hiding place.

This was the right decision.

"I know what I'm doing," Natsuki said finally.

"Yeah, right," quipped Tate. "You can hardly ride your father's damn horse and now you're on a path to nowhere? This was a mistake. We should have told the villagers about what happened. They would have understood."

"Tatl—"

"_Tate._"

"What was I supposed to tell them?" Natsuki retorted.

"You were supposed to tell the truth!" Tate cried. "Tell them he tried to steal your father's sword—"

"I'm not even supposed to have that in the house," said Natsuki. "Either way, I'm in trouble."

"You would have been in way less trouble than you are now!" Tate shot back.

"Just shut up!" Natsuki hissed.

Tate crossed his arms and grumbled to himself. The two did not exchange words for hours.

Duran was beginning to grow tired. He was a strong horse, but, like many living things, he too needed his rest. Natsuki felt tired herself and decided to rest by the side of the road. She looked up at the sun and wondered if this really wasn't a huge mistake. Maybe the people of Solstia really would have understood? Maybe they would have even given her some slack after telling them about what happened? Maybe she wouldn't have gotten in trouble at all?

Her dark train of thought came to a halt when she heard the sounds of hooves. She looked up and saw a man in shining armour, riding a rare white horse. She was about to go up to him until she realised her predicament and shied away at the last instant. She was not only wearing trousers, but she had a horse and a sword without a man by her side. Well, there was Tate, but he was but a fairy that really looked like a ball of fluffy white light with wings more than anything else.

Natsuki went behind a tree and longingly watched the knight leave.

"What are you _doing?_" screamed Tate. Natsuki grabbed him to shut him up, but it was already too late. The knight had noticed something awry.

"Great, now look what you did!" Natsuki snarled at him.

"He could help us!" Tate shot back, wriggling out of Natsuki's grip.

"Look at me; I'm a fucking cross-dresser with a sword and a horse!" Natsuki hissed. "That doesn't bode well!"

"Well, your boobs are pretty small," muttered Tate. "You could be mistaken for a man—"

Natsuki whacked him out of the air.

"Hello?" cried the man as he slid off his white horse. "Is there anyone in there?"

Natsuki didn't speak.

The knight stepped into the foliage and spotted Duran. Natsuki held the hilt of her sword tightly, ready to strike if need be. Tate hid in Natsuki's shirt.

"There's a horse here…," he muttered, as if confused. He walked ahead and finally spotted Natsuki. There was a long silence as the two stared at one another. The knight lifted his visor to reveal sparkling green eyes.

"Uh… g-good morning," he said, bowing slightly before going completely erect. "M-my name is Masashi Takeda."

Natsuki didn't reply.

"Uh… what brings you to this forest alone?" he asked as he removed his helmet to reveal messy olive hair and a scar that ran across his left cheek. "Do you have an escort?"

"Why do you ask?" asked Tate, avoiding the question.

"The reason…" His speech trailed off once he saw that her shirt had talked. However, his eyes seemed to find the low v-neck of her top quite intriguing as his face went red. Natsuki suddenly blew up and punched him.

He fell back and stared up at her.

"W-what was that for?" he spat, caressing his cheek.

"Stupid pervert!" Natsuki cried, ready to unsheathe her sword until Tate intervened.

"W-what were you saying, kind sir?" asked Tate as he poked his head out of Natsuki's shirt.

"Well, if she isn't careful, she can easily get robbed by a bandit," said Takeda, rising to his feet.

"A bandit?" repeated Tate. "There are bandits on this road?"

"Yes, plenty," he said, eyeing Natsuki. "In fact, they're all over the place. I suppose you two are from a pampered family. Where do you come from? Surely I can take you back home, despite your behaviour."

"That won't be necessary," Natsuki said, waving it off. "I'll find my own way back."

"But a lady shouldn't be walking alone in these parts," said Takeda. "Please, allow me to take you home."

"My husband is here," lied Natsuki quickly. "He doesn't like to see me with other men either. I suggest you leave."

Takeda looked slightly shocked and upset by the news, but slowly nodded.

"Uh… alright," he muttered after swallowing. He walked away. "I bid you farewell."

Natsuki waved goodbye to him with a forced grin on her face. Then she paused and looked down the road where he'd come from earlier.

"Wait, Takeda," Natsuki called out to him. He turned to her, his helmet already back on. "Where does south lead me?"

He turned to the direction she was pointing and said, "A fountain. Nothing special about it, but the water there is fresh."

He mounted his white horse and nodded to Natsuki before riding away. Once he was out of earshot, Tate roared, "_Why?_"

"Why what?" asked Natsuki, stepping out of the foliage to get Duran back on track.

"He could have been so good for you!" screamed Natsuki's small fairy. "But then you decided to attack him! Stupid! Besides the prince, he's the best you could have had until you messed everything up! Knights don't come around easy!"

"Shouldn't I be a princess or something to marry a knight?" asked Natsuki as she mounted a tired Duran. "Besides, he was a pervert."

"You say that about _every _suitor_,_" Tate stressed. "You're being difficult!"

Natsuki sighed and decided to ignore Tate for the rest of the journey.

Once they made it to the fountain, surrounded by limestone and sakaki trees. Natsuki got off of Duran and walked over to the fountain. She kneeled in front of it and unsheathed her father's blade. At this point, the blood of the blade had dried, but the sheath needed some cleaning out.

"Oh my God, Natsuki!" screamed Tate suddenly. "This fountain!"

"What about it?" grumbled Natsuki.

"This is one of the Great Fary Fountains!" he cried. He went over to the water and added, "I can _feel_ it! Don't soil it with blood, you might make her mad!"

"Give me a break," Natsuki said exasperatedly. "If this was the Great Fairy Fountain, that Takeda guy would have seen her."

"I'm a fairy," said Tate. Many jokes concerning his comment arose in Natsuki's head, but she didn't voice them. "I feel things normal humans don't."

Natsuki sighed and was about to dunk her sheath into the clear water until she saw the water bubble, as if enraged. She paused and stared. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. She was more tired than she remembered.

However, once she opened her eyes, she saw two violet eyes were glaring straight into her soul. She cried out, dropped her sheath, and stumbled back. The incredibly tall woman with the long blonde hair and the violet eyes stared intensely at Natsuki. Natsuki analysed her and just realised that this woman was practically nude, save for the bits of sediments that covered her body.

"You!" the near-naked woman cried, pointing a finger at Natsuki. "I've been waiting for you!"

Natsuki couldn't reply. She could only stare.

"Fifty years, Kuga!" screamed the woman angrily. "I've waited for fifty years for you to finally arrive! I had better things to do with my time!"

"What have you been waiting for me for?" asked Natsuki as she grabbed her sheath and slid her father's sword into it.

"You don't know?" snapped the woman Natsuki predicted was the Great Fairy. "Kunio hasn't told you yet? What insolence! He should be punished at once!"

"He's dead," Natsuki said. "But what didn't he tell me?"

"Dead?" she spat, ignoring Natsuki's question. "When?"

"A few months ago," Natsuki said strongly, but her heart dropped slightly with sombreness. "Could you just tell me what he forgot to tell me?"

"You're the new Hero of Time!" said the Great Fairy. "A very late one, too!"

Natsuki blinked before turning to Tate who was usually knowledgeable with these sorts of things. However, he looked quite hit by the news himself.

"H-Haruka!" cried Tate. "You must have the wrong child! She's hardly seventeen!"

"I know when I see the Hero of Time, Agent Tatl!"

"I-it's 'Tate'," he corrected.

"Anyway," she said, ignoring him, "Kuga, do you at least have your sword and shield?"

Natsuki looked down at her father's wooden shield and small sword.

"This is an outrage," Haruka said. "You don't have the master sword? Not even a proper shield? You have much work to do!"

Master sword? What was that?

"Why do I need a Master Sword?" asked Natsuki.

"Because it belongs to you!" snapped Haruka.

"Where do we find the Master Sword?" asked Tate.

"Uh… you must… well, what I mean to say is… in other words…"

"You don't know where it is, do you?" Tate asked. Haruka's face went as red as a tomato, but not out of anger.

"It's been fifty years!" she claimed. "How am I supposed to remember anything at this point?"

"What are we supposed to do then?" Tate shot back.

"Ask people on your journey," Haruka said. "They're bound to know something useful! Speaking of, you should take this. It might help you fit in."

With the wave of Haruka's arm, Natsuki was suddenly donning a blue elf hat with a matching tunic, white leggings and brown boots. Natsuki looked down at herself and tugged at the material of her new costume.

It fit her quite snugly.

"Now go on!" said Haruka, trying to shoo them off. "I've told you what I had to tell you!"

"Uh… Haruka?"

"What now?"

"We don't even know what to do," Tate replied.

"Yes, I was just getting to that!" Haruka coughed. "Kuga, your mission is to defeat the Obsidian Lord and save the Faceless Prince."

"Obsidian Lord?" Natsuki repeated. She didn't even know who that was, let alone where he was. At least she knew the Faceless Prince… somewhat. The whole land knew about the Faceless Prince and his two sisters. Every girl wanted to marry him (including Mai), but the King and Queen kept him hidden away from the public for some reason. No one knew who he truly was.

"The Obsidian Lord is the King of Bandits," informed Haruka. "You must defeat him and retrieve the prince. However, in order to do so, you must free the six sages."

"Sages?" Natsuki didn't know how she was going to do any of this in a lifetime.

"This is quite a bit for a young woman, Haruka," said Tate, sensing Natsuki's doubt.

"I don't make mistakes, Agent Tate!" Haruka cried proudly. "Missions like this will build her character! I'm glad you took this derived child to me. Good work."

"Uh… don't you mean 'deprived'?" asked Tate.

"That's what I said!" Haruka retorted. "Go and start your journey or else you'll be fifty by time you're finished. Then you won't be able to marry the prince."

"She gets to marry the prince?" Tate squeaked excitedly. "Natsuki, this is great! You're finally going to get _married!_ To a _prince!_"

"Don't I have to be a princess to marry him?" Natsuki asked with furrowed brows.

"If you save him in time, then that can be easily arranged," Haruka said with the wave of a hand. "Don't get killed, Kuga! The Faceless Prince owes me a lot of rupees!"

And, with that, Haruka sank back into the fountain.

Tate seemed to grow brighter with the news. Natsuki felt a bit of excitement, but she couldn't help but wonder why the Faceless Prince was faceless. Could it be because he was ugly?

"We should get started!" Tate said loudly as he flew over to Duran. "Did you hear that, boy? Natsuki's gonna marry a prince!"

Natsuki sighed and went over to her horse so that she may begin her newest journey. She didn't know what awaited her nor did she know if she was ever going to complete these tasks. However, she had Tate and Duran to rely on and surely with their help, she could overthrow this Obsidian Lord and save the Faceless Prince.

With that thought in mind, Kuga Natsuki rode away from the fountain, scratching her head. Her new hat was awfully itchy.

* * *

"Say _what?_" spat the King of Bandits, his face concealed by the shadows draped over his chamber. One of the younger bandits, Yuuki Nao, swallowed, surprised by his tone.

"The Hero of Time—"

"I heard you," he snarled. Nao nodded and took a step back.

"I let my guard down," he muttered, rubbing his left temple. "It's been fifty years… you'd think this whole Hero of Time business was finished."

Nao nodded, sweat beading on her forehead.

"Yuuki," he said.

"Yes sir?"

"I want you to call Fujino," he growled. "Kuga Natsuki needs to be stopped promptly. Shizuru's the only one for the job."

Nao felt her jaw tighten at the name, but she wisely heeded her master's orders. She exited the chamber with a bow and slammed the door shut.

The King of Bandits sighed and fondled with the handle of his great sword. He was a weary man with a weary soul. The last thing he needed was the next Hero of Time foiling his plans. The Faceless Prince was his ticket to fame and fortune and he didn't plan on giving this ticket away to some peasant girl.

However, he had faith in his apprentice. Fujino Shizuru, after all, had shown him that she did not have to be a boy to be a great thief. She was his best bandit. His prettiest too, he thought with a leer. She would do fine with doing away with the nuisance that was Kuga Nastuki.

"She won't stand a chance," he murmured as he set his sword down on the dresser next to his mattress filled with hey. Next to the drawing his younger sister, Mikoto, had made for him.


	2. On the Radar

Disclaimer: The rights to _Mai HiME_ and _The Legend of Zelda_ rightfully belong to Sunrise and Nintendo, respectively. I own rights to nothing.

Note: Well, it's been a while. I'm sorry about the terribly long wait. I'm a bit tangled up with _The Great Gatsby_ and deciphering its symbolic secrets which poses as a bit of a problem, considering I'm no good at dissecting anything. I'll make sure to update a little faster, however. Make sure to leave a review before you leave! :)

* * *

After long, long hours of riding Duran through the trees, Natsuki and Tate had finally come across something of interest.

The concrete path disappeared to reveal a large field of healthy grass and, farther ahead, a castle with sharp towers and grey, thick walls. Surrounding this castle were high barriers made of slab with a wooden portcullis as its only entrance. Which was, in fact, open for all to enter.

"That must be the Faceless Prince's castle!" cried Tate. "We finally made it!"

Natsuki felt her heart swell with excitement. At least she was able to find the castle. This was good progress.

She urged Duran to dash forward and he did so, having the wind bat against Natsuki's ears. Once they made it to the open portcullis, Natsuki dismounted Duran and smoothed out her tunic before patting him on the flank, making him whinny in appreciation. Natsuki stepped onto the portcullis, but soon paused, as if realising something.

"What is it?" asked Tate hesitantly. Natsuki looked ahead to see that this portcullis led to a small town, bustling with activity. This didn't come as a surprise to her but it was just the way the people carried themselves that had her stop for a second.

Certainly, they all had clothes that was laced in gold and dyed in the most exotic of colours, but there was also the fact that some of the women wore pants. In the public.

How bizarre.

Natsuki slowly strolled in and looked around. Many of the people there were too busy to notice her come in. Many men and women were running their own shops, asking for attention as the passers-by rushed to their destinations.

Natsuki watched all of this unfold, her eyes searching. She slowly followed the crowd to the centre of the little town where a fountain stood. The centre led off into four different cobblestoned directions, including where she'd just come from. Another one of these directions led towards the castle of none other than the Faceless Prince.

Natsuki couldn't go; the doors were being guarded. No matter; least likely the prince was kidnapped and held captive in his own castle. Currently, her duty did not lie there.

"We should ask around about the Master Sword," said Tate. "The sooner we find it, the closer we are to finding that prince."

Natsuki nodded and, for half the day, she asked around.

Many people didn't know much about the Master Sword. Their answers were usually, "I know nothing at all," or "No, but would you care to buy my so and so product?" One joker said that he'd be delighted to show _his _Master Sword, which resulted in him getting a free kiss from Natsuki's splintered shield.

The day had been gruelling, so Natsuki decided to finally go rest in the inn down by the southern exit.

The innkeeper was a tall woman with red hair and green eyes which flashed with life upon seeing Natsuki.

"Are you here to stay?" asked the girl as she straightened up. Natsuki took out her bag containing all her twenty-five rupees that she'd snatched from her father's room and emptied it out onto the counter.

"Yes," said Natsuki. "For one night."

The innkeeper scanned the rupees before staring Natsuki in the eye and saying, "That will be twenty-six rupees."

Natsuki paused.

"W-what?"

"I said that will be twenty-six rupees," said the innkeeper.

"I only have twenty-five," said Natsuki. "And since when… I mean… that doesn't sound right."

"Well, it's twenty-six," said the lady with a shrug of her shoulders. "Nothing I can do about it. Unless…"

Natsuki watched as the girl's eyes narrowed seductively.

"You have to do me a big favour," the woman said in a sing-song voice.

"What is it?"

"Promise me you'll do it."

"I'm not promising anything until I know what it is," Natsuki barked, feeling her patience slip away at an alarming rate.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you," said the woman as she leaned back in her chair and folded her hands behind her head. "Deliver that thing to Yohko, the nurse up north."

The woman pointed to a box at the end of her desk.

"Why don't you do it yourself?" asked Natsuki as she slid the box off the desk and hefted it up in her thin arms.

"Too lazy," whined the woman as she yawned. "Now go and take it to Yohko."

"What's in this anyway?" Natsuki questioned, hefting the box out the door.

"Ask no questions and I shall tell you no lies," said the innkeeper with a cattish smile on her face. "Bye-bye!"

Natsuki stumbled out of the door of the inn and jogged up north, where she thought she saw the infirmary earlier. Once Natsuki reached that infirmary, she was assaulted by the smell of narcotics and potions.

"What's that smell?" spat Tate. Natsuki swallowed her disgust and knocked on the door. She could only imagine how horrid the smell was on the inside.

When the door opened, she nearly passed out. The smell was so strong that tears sprang up in her eyes.

However, a fair woman stood by the door, wearing a lab coat and a blue dress. Inside of the infirmary were rows of men who seemed to be living their final moments in the beds they laid in, most of them losing an arm or a leg. Some of them had their heads and torsos so wrapped up that they resembled mummies.

"Who might you be?" asked the woman Natsuki presumed was Yohko.

"Kuga," said Natsuki. "My name is Kuga Natsuki. The… the innkeeper wanted me to give you this…"

"Oh, the potions I wanted," she said as she took the burden off of Natsuki's thin arms. She stared at her for a second before saying, "The innkeeper, you say?"

"Yes, ma'am," replied Natsuki.

"Oh." The dark-haired woman smiled a bit. "That's quite nice of you. Thank you. But you _do _know it was her job to bring it over here."

"We know that," Tate grumbled from the inside of Natsuki's tunic.

"Yeah, but I was low on rupees," Natsuki informed. "I only had twenty-five."

"But isn't that the price of getting a room?" asked the nurse with a raised brow. Natsuki suddenly felt the skin between her eyebrows pinch.

"Are you saying that I was gypped?"

"Possibly, Miss…?"

"Natsuki," she answered, slightly dazed.

"Thank you, then, Natsuki," said Yohko as she slowly shut her door with her free hand. "Good night and… sorry, again."

With that, Yohko shut the door.

"_You lied,_" spat Natsuki once she reached the inn again.

"Oh, Yohko told you?" asked the innkeeper whose name was Midori.

"Y-you _suck_," snarled Natsuki, her anger clouding her mind. "Why did you trick me?"

"Like I said, I was too lazy."

"_That's not a good enough reason!_"

"You'll wake up the whole town with your yelling, you know," said Midori, checking out her split-ends. Natsuki's fingers played with the hilt of her sword. "You should probably pay up now. No need to cry over spilt milk, huh?"

Natsuki bared her teeth and slowly took out her wallet. She emptied it out onto the counter and Midori slid the rupees into the pocket of her apron.

"Thank you!" said Midori. "Please enjoy your stay."

"Oh, shut up," growled Natsuki as she was given the keys to her room and headed upstairs.

"Wait, wait," said Tate as he pulled on one of Natsuki's pointed ears. He fluttered over to Midori and asked, "Do you know anything about the Master Sword?"

"Like she'd know anything about that," said Natsuki with a sneer. "Come on, Tatl, you're wasting your time."

"It's 'Tate'!"

Natsuki never knew why she kept forgetting his name.

"Well," said Midori, "I _might_ know something…"

Natsuki perked up.

"But what would _I_know?" said Midori, eyeing Natsuki. "I'm just wasting your time. You can go to your room."

"W-wait a minute!" shouted Natsuki as she scurried over to Midori's counter. "I didn't mean that! I was just kidding around! What do you know about the Master Sword?"

Midori stared at her for a second. For the first time Natsuki had met her, she actually looked solemn.

"A professor of mine," she began, "used to look up ancient relics. He was an archaeologist. One day, he tried to look for the Master Sword in the forest down by the east. He never came back."

There was a pause full of tension as Natsuki stared back at Midori's sombre eyes.

"Well… uh… do you think it's there?" asked Natsuki, not wanting to drag on this moment of awkward silence any longer.

"Of course," replied Midori. "The professor was never wrong about these things. I'm ninety-nine percent sure."

Natsuki didn't ask about the missing one percent.

"I hope you're not thinking of going," said Midori as she leaned over the counter. "Do you have any idea what crazy shit happens in that forest?"

"I'll take my chances," said Natsuki. She had to find that Master Sword in order to get things moving. She'd die without a cause if she didn't.

"Oh." Midori leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. "You'll die, you know. Bandits, monsters, you name it. Everything bad lives in that forest."

"Bandits?" repeated Tate. "Do you think the King of Bandits lives in that forest?"

"Don't ask me," said Midori. "For all I know, he could be on Mars. No one knows where that guy is except the bandits themselves."

Midori's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You could die if you step into that forest," said Midori. "I'm just warning you. If you value your life, you probably shouldn't go."

Natsuki nodded and headed up to her room.

Despite her stone face of determination, she knew that she had quite a bit of thinking to do.

* * *

"I don't think she's coming," yawned Nao as she picked at her broken nails. She swore once one of her nails was torn down to the cuticle. "Can't we just go home?"

"Miss Yuuki, you seem to have forgotten," said the Assassin, perched in the highest of trees, her beautiful weapon resting on her lap. "Our young Hero of Time seeks the Master Sword and the Master Sword rests in this forest, yes?"

"Well… yeah, but I don't think she knows that," said Nao.

"She knows," said the Assassin. "I know she is coming."

Nao rolled her eyes. Of course the Obsidian Lord had to stick her with the psycho-crazy killer with a just as psycho and just as crazy weapon that could tear any living being apart. It was so typical of him.

Fujino only caused problems and practically every bandit knew it. Sure, she was respected, but that didn't mean she wasn't feared. The only reason she was so popular was because of her bloody history of murders. That bitch was damn near unstoppable. Whoever this Hero of Time was, she was going to get sliced, no doubt about it.

Angrily, Nao fell back and curled up on the moist soil, still picking at her torn nails. She hated the wild. It ruined her manicures.

And she hated Fujino. She tended to ruin a lot of other things.

_Like my life,_Yuuki thought to herself, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"Even if she did know," Nao went on, deciding to steer her thoughts in a different direction, "she wouldn't come at this hour."

"You never know, Miss Yuuki," said Fujino Shizuru. "The Hero of Time is full of pleasant surprises."

"She only killed one of our weakest bandits," said Nao, tired of how Fujino praised this Kuga Natsuki. "By accident, too. She's not that great."

Fujino was silent for a couple of moments. She didn't have to answer that, after all. She knew that Natsuki was deemed the Hero of Time for a reason. That meant that she was strong and probably a harder kill to kill. She would pose as a challenge and no one liked challenges as much as Fujino herself.

She could practically feel herself shaking with the anticipation. However, her face of composure was dominant.

So, Shizuru waited.

* * *

When morning arrived, Natsuki was quick to leave the inn, making sure to try and avoid the annoying innkeeper. However, to no avail. She had been seen trying to slip out the front door.

"Going off on your suicide mission?" asked Midori as she took a bite from her pomegranate.

"I'll live," Natsuki said, trying to sound determined.

"You never know," replied Midori as she picked at some grapes.

Natsuki made a face and turned to walk away.

"Ah, by the way," said Midori, fondling with an apple in her pocket. Why did she have so many fruits on her, anyway? "Take this."

Natsuki was thrown a bottle of fizzy, green liquid. After a long pause, Natsuki looked up at Midori, her eyebrow arched.

"It's a potion," said Midori, taking a bite out of a peach. Natsuki shivered upon seeing this and turned away.

"You're saying that you're giving her witchcraft?" asked Tate, his voice accusing.

"Witchcraft?" asked Midori. "Hey, I know a lot of nice witches around the area. Don't be so racist."

"Come on, Natsuki, let's go," said Tate as he flew out the door. Natsuki shot Midori a look before slipping out the door.

Once they reached the eastern gate, Natsuki hopped onto Duran and rode him towards the forest. Once they reached the forest, however, they had to stop. Natsuki decided to search for the Master Sword on foot. She didn't know what she'd end up running into in the forest.

"Stay here, Duran," said Natsuki. Duran whinnied agitatedly and stomped a bit, but he stayed still. Natsuki made sure to praise him for his obedience and patted his flank.

So, Natsuki and Tate roamed the forest alone.

It took many days and many nights before they came across anything particularly interesting.

On the seventh day of her journey, Natsuki came across a large assortment of big, orange flowers on the ground. Natsuki looked around, surprised by this sudden change in setting. For days, all she had seen were bushes, grass, bark, and leaves. A lot of green and brown, basically.

The orange was a pleasant change. Natsuki stepped into the field—

A yell cut through the air.

"Deku shrubs, _attack!_"

Natsuki was, to say the least, stunned.

Suddenly, the shrubs rose from the ground to reveal the brown faces and bright eyes belonging to bizarre creatures. They had nozzles, which further confused Natsuki.

Everything went by too fast. All at once, she was attacked by a barrage of flying nuts that came at her with full speed. She went falling back, holding her nose that was draining itself like a defective faucet. She nearly passed out, but her anger kept her eyes wide open. She unsheathed her sword and swung it in the air, accidentally deflecting one of the flying nuts. It went straight back into the nozzles of one of the self-proclaimed Deku Shrubs and it choked. The shrubs panicked and sank back into the ground, leaving their companion to die.

Natsuki slowly walked up to the Deku Shrub and swiftly knocked it in the back of its little body, causing the nut to go flying out of its nozzle. Before it could escape, Natsuki grabbed it by its orange leafs and growled, "You're not going anywhere."

"Please, do not hurt me!" it cried pitiful, tears sparkling in its big, orange eyes. "We Deku Shrubs are very protective of our land, you must understand—"

Natsuki had her sword aimed at its sensitive nozzle. She could feel blood pooling into her mouth and her head felt like it was ready to blow up. She refused to suffer in vain.

"Where is the Master Sword?" she asked through gritted teeth.

The Deku Shrub was quick to answer.

"I-I don't know—"

"Don't lie to me!" she spat as she shook the Deku Shrub all around. "You're guarding it! Where is it?"

It whimpered.

"I was never told where it was," it said. "A Deku Shrub never lies!"

Natsuki wrinkled her nose and turned to Tate who was still trying to recover from the sudden Deku attack.

"Search his home," Natsuki ordered. Tate slowly nodded and fluttered into the Deku Shrubs flower. After half a minute, he was hauling out a compass and some rolled up parchment. Natsuki threw away the Deku Shrub and grabbed the compass. She analysed it and pocketed it before taking the parchment out of Tate's tiny hands and unrolled it.

A map.

They'd found a map.

Natsuki repressed the unbelievable need to jump up and shout "Eureka!" Finally, something she could use! This was exactly what she needed!

She chortled with glee and slipped it into the front of her blue tunic.

"It's about time we found a lead," said Tate as he hovered next to her ear. "We better get going. We shouldn't waste time."

Natsuki nodded with a smile and slid the map into her rucksack. She straightened up and shifted through the orange leaves of the flowers housing the Deku Shrubs before reaching the other end of the field.

For the first time in a while, Natsuki felt a piece to a complicated puzzle had been found.

* * *

Shizuru was bent on finding her. The girl, that is. Kuga Natsuki.

The name rolled off the tongue so smoothly.

"Natsuki," Shizuru whispered into the night air, her breath fogging her vision. It was very cold that night, but Shizuru was in no need of comfort. "Natsuki..."

"It's getting dark," said Nao, breaking Shizuru's concentration for the umpteenth time that day. "We really oughta go to sleep. I can't work properly without my eight hours of sleep."

Shizuru turned to Nao, a smile on her face.

"You wish to rest, you say?"

"Yeah, I'm—" Nao paused when she made eye contact with Shizuru. Perhaps she'd seen a ghost, perhaps she had suddenly had an epiphany. However, Nao quickly paled and mumbled something under her breath.

"Excuse me, Miss Yuuki?" said Shizuru. "I did not catch that."

"I-I said that I'm not _that_ tired."

"That is good to hear, Miss Yuuki," Shizuru whispered as she turned to creep forward. Nao bared her teeth as she trailed behind the assassin.


End file.
